Gay marriage is usually thought of as a cultural issue or a human rights issue and of course it is on some level. But there is not a single state in the union in which it is not possible for gay couples to legally and openly live together as a couple. Moreover, turn on a TV today and gay characters are everywhere, attesting to their complete acceptance and ordinariness in pop culture.
Yet there is still a huge issue separating gay and straight couples and in most cases it boils down to money. Here is a partial list of the legal and financial entitlements which currently are not available to gay couples:
- Social Security Survivor Benefits
- Estate Tax Exemptions
- Inheritance Exemptions
- Tax Free Transfers To Spouses
- Joint Filing (which can lower taxes)
- Health Insurance Rates
- Government Employee Spousal Benefits
- Workman's Compensation
- Preferential Standing in Wrongful Death
- Miscellaneous Federal and State Benefits
- Approx. 1,138 Legal Rights (according to GLAD)
Most of the above list are areas which the Federal Government was not intended by the founders to be involved in in the first place. But now it is in an ever expanding role, and the financial fate of gay and straight couples alike relies on it's laws and re-distributional largesse. Despite losing consistently at the polls, big money is flowing the other way because even bigger money is at stake in the gay marriage debate. It is for this reason that a federal law endorsing gay marriage is inevitable. Just follow the money.
